Essential Oil 50ml - Patchouli

Latin Name: Pogostemon Cablin

Part of the plant used: Dried leaves

Origin: Indonesia

Part of the plant used: Dried leaves

Patchouli essential oil is extracted from the Pogostemon hair plant of the mint family and has a rich, sweet and spicy musky scent. The plant is native to Malaysia and India where it is known as 'puchaput'. The word patchouli is derived from the Tamil word 'pachchaiilai' which simply means 'green leaf'. Patchouli oil is extracted from the young leaves, which are dried and fermented before steam distillation. This oil improves in fragrance and potency with age. It is highly valued in skin care, especially in wound healing.

In Eastern countries, patchouli oil is used in potpourri and sachets between clothes and linen for fragrance as well as to keep bed bugs and insects away. The oil is said to have a balancing effect on emotions and create a loving atmosphere. When used in an oil burner, it relieves anxiety and depression. Used in bath water, it is believed to help with skin and scalp complaints, fungal infections, fluid retention, break down cellulite and relieve constipation. It has excellent tissue regeneration properties, speeds up healing and fights infections. Therefore, it helps with acne, eczema, sores, ulcers and athlete's foot.

Patchouli appears to have been placed among Indian cashmere shawls before they were shipped to Victorian England, to protect the goods from moths. Without this distinctive scent of dried patchouli leaves, the shawls could not be sold in England. In Europe and America, patchouli oil and incense were immensely popular in the 1960s and 1970s among hippies, as the scent of patchouli covered body odor and the smell of burnt cannabis. Patchouli was used as a hair conditioner for dreadlocks. In many Asian countries, patchouli is also used as an antidote to snakebite.